ALBUM:
Soup Happens
TAYLOR USED:
912c
SONG CLIPS:
Much Better View of the Moon
28k | 56K
Waiting
28k | 56K
CONTACT INFO:
McShane Glover
Noteworthy Productions
124 1/2 Archwood Ave.
Annapolis, MD 21401
Phone:
410-268-8232
Fax:
410-268-2167
E-mail:
mcshane @ mcnote .com
Web:
http:// hotsouptrio .com/
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Three cooks aren't too many for the kitchen when it comes to Hot Soup, the Baltimore-Washington-based "family folk" trio comprised of Christina Muir,
Sue Trainor, and new addition Jennifer Agner (replacing Sue Ribaudo). Soup Happens is the "second serving," following their self-titled debut, and comes
fortified with impeccable harmonies, clever lyrical parodies, diverse instrumental accompaniment, and an uncanny knack for blending traditional and
contemporary folk flavors with inventive vocal arrangements. Don't even think about pigeonholing them - they can do swing, Gospel, and exotic world-beat
folk with unique vocal flair. They've been compared to the Roches, the Chenille Sisters, and Four Bitchin' Babes, and when they dip their musical
ladle into standards, the Andrews Sisters readily come to mind. Their audience-engaging performances and charming musical variety make them a must-see
live act.
Each Soupster brings a unique chunk of solo talent to the mix. Sue Trainor's well-honed comic bent finds its form both in clever parody songs and
children's music, but her warm alto can just as easily embrace a poignant ballad (like "Grandfather's Chair") or a topical folk tune. "Folderol" is
a crack-up - Trainor ponders a long line to the ladies room during an all-too-short concert intermission: "Folderol, folderol/ We're waiting for that
precious little stall/ While some woman who is squoze in control top pantyhose/ Unbinds herself from fashion's folderol". She also serves up a good-natured
parody of folk satirist Tom Paxton in "(Don't Know What Was) The Last Thing On My Mind".
Trainor's solo album In a Closeup was nominated for Wammies (Washington
Area Music Association awards) as Album of the Year, Best Debut Album, and Best Contemporary Folk Album. She was voted 1999 "Best New Artist" in the international Children's Music Web Awards, which are judged by children (www.childrensmusic.org). Her release,
Under Tables, Out Back Doors, earned a Parents' Choice Recommended Honor and
was awarded the 1999 Best Album Wammie for kids. In 1996 and 1997, she took home Wammies for Best Female
Vocalist in the Children's Music Category (and has subsequently been
nominated several times). Trainor performs for kids frequently (between Hot
Soup tours) and often works in elementary schools as an Artist-in-Education,
presenting assemblies and workshops about songwriting.
Christina Muir, the daughter of popular folk singer Ann Mayo Muir, wears her genes well and sings with a natural elegance. Her voice radiates with the lithe
grace of an open spirit seeking love's renewal on "New Day", while her guitar (912c) and dulcimer sweetly support the trio's harmonies throughout the album.
Like Trainor, Muir ventured into writing children's music and released Over, Under, Around & Through with Eric Garrison. On the adult side, her solo debut,
Feet First, received high marks from folk critics; according to The Washington Post's Mike Joyce, "Muir's best songs have an honesty and charm that's hard
to resist."
Jennifer Agner, Hot Soup's newest addition and also a member of the folk, blues, and swing band The Dilettantes (with her husband, Eric -- they have a new album, This Small Town), brings a soaring soprano,
along with talents on rhythm guitar, banjo and accordion.
On Soup Happens, the trio stirs originals in with interpretations of some favorite tunes, penned by songwriters like Wendy Beckerman, John McCutcheon,
Libby Roderick, and George Wurzbach. Both Tom Paxton and Ann Mayo Muir make guest vocal appearances, and the album is seasoned with a spice rack's worth
of instrumental accents, from the drums/percussion of Marcy Marxer and Tom Teasley to Jonathan Jensen's piano, ukulele, ocarina and arrangement on "Tain't
No Sin to Dance Around in Your Bones". Soup's on!
"The blend was smooth and velvety, the musicality unerring, and you could set your watch by the harmonies. They're welcome on Radio From Downtown anytime."
— Van Williamson,
producer, director, co-writer,
Radio From Downtown
(also director for NPR's Morning Edition)
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